Crews nearly contain Hobbs grass fire, evacuees return

Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, February 24, 2008

The fire started about seven miles north of U.S. Highway 62-180 on County Road 483 and moved toward the community of Nadine before crews began getting a handle on the flames.

"We're working on some hot spots and flare ups and we'll probably be doing that until tomorrow," Graham said Monday evening.

Just before dusk, crews had contained about 95 percent of the fire and the wind had calmed, Graham said. Earlier in the day, the wind gusted to 50 mph and helped fuel the fire.

The blaze burned in dry brush in an area that contains commercial buildings and some homes west of Hobbs before it moved into a rural area, Graham said. About 100 people were asked to evacuate but they were allowed to return to their homes Monday night, he said.

Firefighters found a dry chemical residue, such as a chemical sprayed from a fire extinguisher, where the blaze started, as if somebody tried to put out the flames, Graham said. He said he couldn't comment on whether the fire was human caused.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

There were no reports of injuries. One pickup and three utility trailers used on ranches were burned, he said.

Authorities initially believed the fire had scorched about 40,000 acres, but Graham said Monday night the estimate was closer to 52,000 acres.

About 10 people who had been asked to evacuate and 60 students gathered at Hobbs High School on Monday afternoon, Graham said.

T.J. Parks, operations director for the Hobbs School District, said students who lived west of town waited at the high school for their parents to get them.

School district buses had been called on to help evacuate about 50 to 60 people from an assisted living home that was threatened by the fire, Parks said.

"You certainly could see the smoke billow up in the air," he said of the blaze, which he saw jump a four-lane road. "It was amazing how quick it was traveling."